Strange Ritual #1: Use a Timer to Do World-Class Work
On the two days a week I schedule as “Creative Days”, I set blocks of time to achieve specific outcomes and results–generally working in the 90 minute bursts of intensity that have been scientifically proven to yield best performance (insight: each of your days only has 16 of these 90 minute segments so use them well).
I then use the countdown timer on my smartphone to heighten my awareness about the passage of each chunk of time. Not really sure why this ritual works so well (I’m deep into brain science these days so once I know, I’ll share of course). But it just does. So do it. Please.
Strange Ritual #2: One Hour Walks
Steve Jobs loved doing walking meetings. Thoreau loved walking in the woods. Mandela would walk for entire days. There’s just something beautifully special about installing the daily habit of walking…
…it’ll give you time to think and ideate. You’ll kickstart your creativity and multiply your innovation (bring paper or your phone with you to download the ideas that will pour into your imagination)…
…productivity will soar and your moods will elevate as your endorphins get released. And you’ll boost your fitness to your next level of wow.
After studying many of the creative masters, I’ve been doing a daily walk for years. It’s definitely been a game-changer for me, especially at the end of a productive day.
Strange Ritual #3: The Second Wind Workout
The daily walk ritual leads nicely into the “2WW” Ritual that has also served me so well: The Second Wind Workout.
Here’s the basic idea: given that exercise is one of the finest productivity tools ever created, why not use it more often within a day to get more valuable things done?
Yes–definitely do your morning workout to get you mentally and physically amped for a brilliant day. But then, at the end of your work day, go for that walk or take the swim or nail a run.
Creating a second workout ritual later in your day will give you so much more energy each evening, relax you with your loved ones, minimize the dangerous effects of stress, deliver a deeper sleep and even reduce your cravings later in the night.
Strange Ritual #4: Talk to Yourself
The reality is that most of our daily choices and behaviors are not conscious. We think we know why we do what we do but the truth is 90% of our moves are driven by our subconscious programming (all the beliefs and rules that our parents/teachers/media/peers have taught us).
This is why we’ll read a book or go to a conference and say we’ll make fantastic changes–but rarely do.
For a new idea to create true breakthrough, you need to go to the source. And use autosuggestion to install a new story about your place in the world.
Our conscious mind really does want to make the improvement within our business and personal life. But all the negative patterns within our subconscious hold us back. And sabotage our progress.
Autosuggestion is simply using words and verbal commands to rewire and rescript the unconscious realm of our brain. The subconscious is dramatically influenced by words.
The average person uses words that create limitation, scarcity, drama and failure in their lives–without even knowing it.
Best performers know that words drive performance. And so they use them brilliantly.
To be specific, I suggest that you clean out the victimspeak from your vocabulary. Speaking “I hate this” or “this will never work” or “I’m not good at this” or “I can’t achieve that” or “I’m in trouble” forge subconscious beliefs that make your words self-fulfilling realities.
Instead, use the language of world-class. Talk words with power, grace and positivity. Speak like the person you’ve always wished you could become. And, with time and consistent practice, you’ll step into that person’s shoes.
Strange Ritual #5: The WTOH Question
Please remember that a problem is only a problem when viewed as a problem.
Many of the great business innovations came from a so-called “failure”.
Many of the greatest growth periods of our lives were derived from a period of pain.
Within every setback lies the gift of progress, advancement and outright mastery.
Too many of us encounter an obstacle and drop into victim-mode, giving away our power to it and throwing in the towel.
Instead, use “The WTOH Question” and ask what’s the opportunity here?
This ritual has saved my life. It has allowed me to leverage the unexpected into pure possibility. And turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones.
It’s helped my team produce epic results in the face of Plan A not going to plan.
And it’s moved my clients to achieve legendary businesses as well as lives they adore.
Strange Ritual #6: Thank the Value Chain
Key principle: Gratitude is the antidote to Apathy.
To get giant things done, you need to feel inspired and alive and highly confident and unbeatable…
…positive psychologists are teaching us that “deliberate gratitude” (the actual habit of practicing gratitude versus leaving it to chance) is one of the smartest ways to build that state.
Another one of the strange rituals that has served me so very well is what I call “thanking the value chain”.
When I eat an excellent meal in a restaurant, I silently thank the chef, the servers, the delivery people, the owners, the farmers and every other human being along the value chain whose hard work has allowed me to savor the meal.
On an airplane, I silently thank the attendants, the pilots, the ground crew, the aircraft makers and even the back office workers for the gift of the flight. And the opportunity for me to attend another event to inspire and share with people who want to win.
I do my best to run this ritual as much as possible as I live out each day.
It completely changes the way I view each experience, encounter and person. And it fills me with energy, passion and hope.
I sincerely wish the same for you.
Strange Ritual #7: The Sunday Morning Planning Process
Every Sunday morning, I sent aside an hour to review the past 7 days. I then write my “Weekly Story”, a fast review of how I performed and behaved over the past week (based on the notes on my written daily schedule). This alone breeds huge amounts of awareness of what’s working and what needs to be improved.
Next, I review my annual one-page plan, reconnect with my Top 5 Values and consider my commitments for the next 7 days.
All this moves me to then write out my “Blueprint for a Beautiful Week” on a written 7 day template that has time blocks from 5 am to 11 pm.
Everything goes in here from my early morning workouts and journaling sessions to my family meals with those I love.
This ritual is one of the best habits I’ve developed. And has helped so many of our clients achieve more in a few weeks than most people get done in a year.
Hope these strange rituals of mine provoke you to install some new disciplines.
The world needs you to be at your best. And I’ll continue to do all I can to help you get there. Definitely.
If you found these insights and tools valuable and are ready to discover what the most successful people on the planet are doing in their careers and personal lives to get their uncommon results, I’d love to help you make the single biggest leap of your life…
Your success partner,
On the two days a week I schedule as “Creative Days”, I set blocks of time to achieve specific outcomes and results–generally working in the 90 minute bursts of intensity that have been scientifically proven to yield best performance (insight: each of your days only has 16 of these 90 minute segments so use them well).
I then use the countdown timer on my smartphone to heighten my awareness about the passage of each chunk of time. Not really sure why this ritual works so well (I’m deep into brain science these days so once I know, I’ll share of course). But it just does. So do it. Please.
Strange Ritual #2: One Hour Walks
Steve Jobs loved doing walking meetings. Thoreau loved walking in the woods. Mandela would walk for entire days. There’s just something beautifully special about installing the daily habit of walking…
…it’ll give you time to think and ideate. You’ll kickstart your creativity and multiply your innovation (bring paper or your phone with you to download the ideas that will pour into your imagination)…
…productivity will soar and your moods will elevate as your endorphins get released. And you’ll boost your fitness to your next level of wow.
After studying many of the creative masters, I’ve been doing a daily walk for years. It’s definitely been a game-changer for me, especially at the end of a productive day.
Strange Ritual #3: The Second Wind Workout
The daily walk ritual leads nicely into the “2WW” Ritual that has also served me so well: The Second Wind Workout.
Here’s the basic idea: given that exercise is one of the finest productivity tools ever created, why not use it more often within a day to get more valuable things done?
Yes–definitely do your morning workout to get you mentally and physically amped for a brilliant day. But then, at the end of your work day, go for that walk or take the swim or nail a run.
Creating a second workout ritual later in your day will give you so much more energy each evening, relax you with your loved ones, minimize the dangerous effects of stress, deliver a deeper sleep and even reduce your cravings later in the night.
Strange Ritual #4: Talk to Yourself
The reality is that most of our daily choices and behaviors are not conscious. We think we know why we do what we do but the truth is 90% of our moves are driven by our subconscious programming (all the beliefs and rules that our parents/teachers/media/peers have taught us).
This is why we’ll read a book or go to a conference and say we’ll make fantastic changes–but rarely do.
For a new idea to create true breakthrough, you need to go to the source. And use autosuggestion to install a new story about your place in the world.
Our conscious mind really does want to make the improvement within our business and personal life. But all the negative patterns within our subconscious hold us back. And sabotage our progress.
Autosuggestion is simply using words and verbal commands to rewire and rescript the unconscious realm of our brain. The subconscious is dramatically influenced by words.
The average person uses words that create limitation, scarcity, drama and failure in their lives–without even knowing it.
Best performers know that words drive performance. And so they use them brilliantly.
To be specific, I suggest that you clean out the victimspeak from your vocabulary. Speaking “I hate this” or “this will never work” or “I’m not good at this” or “I can’t achieve that” or “I’m in trouble” forge subconscious beliefs that make your words self-fulfilling realities.
Instead, use the language of world-class. Talk words with power, grace and positivity. Speak like the person you’ve always wished you could become. And, with time and consistent practice, you’ll step into that person’s shoes.
Strange Ritual #5: The WTOH Question
Please remember that a problem is only a problem when viewed as a problem.
Many of the great business innovations came from a so-called “failure”.
Many of the greatest growth periods of our lives were derived from a period of pain.
Within every setback lies the gift of progress, advancement and outright mastery.
Too many of us encounter an obstacle and drop into victim-mode, giving away our power to it and throwing in the towel.
Instead, use “The WTOH Question” and ask what’s the opportunity here?
This ritual has saved my life. It has allowed me to leverage the unexpected into pure possibility. And turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones.
It’s helped my team produce epic results in the face of Plan A not going to plan.
And it’s moved my clients to achieve legendary businesses as well as lives they adore.
Strange Ritual #6: Thank the Value Chain
Key principle: Gratitude is the antidote to Apathy.
To get giant things done, you need to feel inspired and alive and highly confident and unbeatable…
…positive psychologists are teaching us that “deliberate gratitude” (the actual habit of practicing gratitude versus leaving it to chance) is one of the smartest ways to build that state.
Another one of the strange rituals that has served me so very well is what I call “thanking the value chain”.
When I eat an excellent meal in a restaurant, I silently thank the chef, the servers, the delivery people, the owners, the farmers and every other human being along the value chain whose hard work has allowed me to savor the meal.
On an airplane, I silently thank the attendants, the pilots, the ground crew, the aircraft makers and even the back office workers for the gift of the flight. And the opportunity for me to attend another event to inspire and share with people who want to win.
I do my best to run this ritual as much as possible as I live out each day.
It completely changes the way I view each experience, encounter and person. And it fills me with energy, passion and hope.
I sincerely wish the same for you.
Strange Ritual #7: The Sunday Morning Planning Process
Every Sunday morning, I sent aside an hour to review the past 7 days. I then write my “Weekly Story”, a fast review of how I performed and behaved over the past week (based on the notes on my written daily schedule). This alone breeds huge amounts of awareness of what’s working and what needs to be improved.
Next, I review my annual one-page plan, reconnect with my Top 5 Values and consider my commitments for the next 7 days.
All this moves me to then write out my “Blueprint for a Beautiful Week” on a written 7 day template that has time blocks from 5 am to 11 pm.
Everything goes in here from my early morning workouts and journaling sessions to my family meals with those I love.
This ritual is one of the best habits I’ve developed. And has helped so many of our clients achieve more in a few weeks than most people get done in a year.
Hope these strange rituals of mine provoke you to install some new disciplines.
The world needs you to be at your best. And I’ll continue to do all I can to help you get there. Definitely.
If you found these insights and tools valuable and are ready to discover what the most successful people on the planet are doing in their careers and personal lives to get their uncommon results, I’d love to help you make the single biggest leap of your life…
Your success partner,
